Implement dynamic header injection for proxy transports. Fixes #679

Adds a mechanism to dynamically inject and update HTTP headers for ongoing proxy sessions, resolving an issue where headers introduced after the initial handshake (e.g, Mcp-Protocol-Version) were not being forwarded to the server.

The core problem was that the `transportToServer` instance was created once with a static set of headers. This meant that critical, dynamically added headers like `mcp-protocol-version` and `last-event-id` were being dropped in subsequent requests.

The solution implemented here is to wrap the `fetch` function used by the HTTP-based transports (`StreamableHttp` and `SSE`). This custom wrapper merges the latest headers from the client with the headers of each outgoing request from the proxy, ensuring all headers are preserved for the lifetime of the session.

Changes:

In `src/index.ts`:
  - Added `sessionHeaderHolders`, a `Map` to store the most recent set of headers for each active session ID.
  - Added `createCustomFetch`, a new helper function that creates a `fetch` wrapper. This wrapper merges the session headers from `sessionHeaderHolders` with the request-specific headers from the SDK (like `Content-Type`)
  - In `createTransport`, use `createCustomFetch` for both the `StreamableHTTPClientTransport` and `SSEClientTransport`. This injects the dynamic header logic into the transport layer.
  - In `/mcp`, `/sse`, `/message` route handlers, added logic to update the `sessionHeaderHolders` map with the latest headers from every incoming client request.
  - Added cleanup logic to the `onsessionclosed` callback and the `/mcp` DELETE handler to remove session data from `sessionHeaderHolders`.
  - In `getHttpHeaders`, more robust handling of `string[]` and `undefined` values from `req.headers`, satisfying the `"strict": true` TypeScript configuration.
This commit is contained in:
cliffhall 2025-09-06 14:05:24 -04:00
commit 1896f2001e

View file

@ -22,12 +22,6 @@ import mcpProxy from "./mcpProxy.js";
import { randomUUID, randomBytes, timingSafeEqual } from "node:crypto";
const DEFAULT_MCP_PROXY_LISTEN_PORT = "6277";
const SSE_HEADERS_PASSTHROUGH = ["authorization"];
const STREAMABLE_HTTP_HEADERS_PASSTHROUGH = [
"authorization",
"mcp-session-id",
"last-event-id",
];
const defaultEnvironment = {
...getDefaultEnvironment(),
@ -46,40 +40,56 @@ const { values } = parseArgs({
});
// Function to get HTTP headers.
// Supports only "sse" and "streamable-http" transport types.
const getHttpHeaders = (
req: express.Request,
transportType: string,
): HeadersInit => {
const headers: HeadersInit = {
Accept:
transportType === "sse"
? "text/event-stream"
: "text/event-stream, application/json",
};
const defaultHeaders =
transportType === "sse"
? SSE_HEADERS_PASSTHROUGH
: STREAMABLE_HTTP_HEADERS_PASSTHROUGH;
const getHttpHeaders = (req: express.Request): Record<string, string> => {
const headers: Record<string, string> = {};
for (const key of defaultHeaders) {
if (req.headers[key] === undefined) {
continue;
}
// Iterate over all headers in the request
for (const key in req.headers) {
const lowerKey = key.toLowerCase();
const value = req.headers[key];
headers[key] = Array.isArray(value) ? value[value.length - 1] : value;
}
// Check if the header is one we want to forward
if (
lowerKey.startsWith("mcp-") ||
lowerKey === "authorization" ||
lowerKey === "last-event-id"
) {
// Exclude the proxy's own authentication header
if (lowerKey !== "x-mcp-proxy-auth") {
const value = req.headers[key];
// If the header "x-custom-auth-header" is present, use its value as the custom header name.
if (req.headers["x-custom-auth-header"] !== undefined) {
const customHeaderName = req.headers["x-custom-auth-header"] as string;
const lowerCaseHeaderName = customHeaderName.toLowerCase();
if (req.headers[lowerCaseHeaderName] !== undefined) {
const value = req.headers[lowerCaseHeaderName];
headers[customHeaderName] = value as string;
if (typeof value === "string") {
// If the value is a string, use it directly
headers[key] = value;
} else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
// If the value is an array, use the last element
const lastValue = value.at(-1);
if (lastValue !== undefined) {
headers[key] = lastValue;
}
}
// If value is undefined, it's skipped, which is correct.
}
}
}
// Handle the custom auth header separately. We expect `x-custom-auth-header`
// to be a string containing the name of the actual authentication header.
const customAuthHeaderName = req.headers["x-custom-auth-header"];
if (typeof customAuthHeaderName === "string") {
const lowerCaseHeaderName = customAuthHeaderName.toLowerCase();
const value = req.headers[lowerCaseHeaderName];
if (typeof value === "string") {
headers[customAuthHeaderName] = value;
} else if (Array.isArray(value)) {
// If the actual auth header was sent multiple times, use the last value.
const lastValue = value.at(-1);
if (lastValue !== undefined) {
headers[customAuthHeaderName] = lastValue;
}
}
}
return headers;
};
@ -92,6 +102,7 @@ app.use((req, res, next) => {
const webAppTransports: Map<string, Transport> = new Map<string, Transport>(); // Web app transports by web app sessionId
const serverTransports: Map<string, Transport> = new Map<string, Transport>(); // Server Transports by web app sessionId
const sessionHeaderHolders: Map<string, { headers: HeadersInit }> = new Map(); // For dynamic header updates
// Use provided token from environment or generate a new one
const sessionToken =
@ -174,7 +185,38 @@ const authMiddleware = (
next();
};
const createTransport = async (req: express.Request): Promise<Transport> => {
/**
* Creates a `fetch` function that merges dynamic session headers with the
* headers from the actual request, ensuring that request-specific headers like
* `Content-Type` are preserved.
*/
const createCustomFetch = (headerHolder: { headers: HeadersInit }) => {
return (input: RequestInfo | URL, init?: RequestInit): Promise<Response> => {
// Determine the headers from the original request/init.
// The SDK may pass a Request object or a URL and an init object.
const originalHeaders =
input instanceof Request ? input.headers : init?.headers;
// Start with our dynamic session headers.
const finalHeaders = new Headers(headerHolder.headers);
// Merge the SDK's request-specific headers, letting them overwrite.
// This is crucial for preserving Content-Type on POST requests.
new Headers(originalHeaders).forEach((value, key) => {
finalHeaders.set(key, value);
});
// This works for both `fetch(url, init)` and `fetch(request)` style calls.
return fetch(input, { ...init, headers: finalHeaders });
};
};
const createTransport = async (
req: express.Request,
): Promise<{
transport: Transport;
headerHolder?: { headers: HeadersInit };
}> => {
const query = req.query;
console.log("Query parameters:", JSON.stringify(query));
@ -198,11 +240,13 @@ const createTransport = async (req: express.Request): Promise<Transport> => {
});
await transport.start();
return transport;
return { transport };
} else if (transportType === "sse") {
const url = query.url as string;
const headers = getHttpHeaders(req, transportType);
const headers = getHttpHeaders(req);
headers["Accept"] = "text/event-stream";
const headerHolder = { headers };
console.log(
`SSE transport: url=${url}, headers=${JSON.stringify(headers)}`,
@ -210,27 +254,28 @@ const createTransport = async (req: express.Request): Promise<Transport> => {
const transport = new SSEClientTransport(new URL(url), {
eventSourceInit: {
fetch: (url, init) => fetch(url, { ...init, headers }),
fetch: createCustomFetch(headerHolder),
},
requestInit: {
headers,
headers: headerHolder.headers,
},
});
await transport.start();
return transport;
return { transport, headerHolder };
} else if (transportType === "streamable-http") {
const headers = getHttpHeaders(req, transportType);
const headers = getHttpHeaders(req);
headers["Accept"] = "text/event-stream, application/json";
const headerHolder = { headers };
const transport = new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(
new URL(query.url as string),
{
requestInit: {
headers,
},
// Pass a custom fetch to inject the latest headers on each request
fetch: createCustomFetch(headerHolder),
},
);
await transport.start();
return transport;
return { transport, headerHolder };
} else {
console.error(`Invalid transport type: ${transportType}`);
throw new Error("Invalid transport type specified");
@ -244,6 +289,12 @@ app.get(
async (req, res) => {
const sessionId = req.headers["mcp-session-id"] as string;
console.log(`Received GET message for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
const headerHolder = sessionHeaderHolders.get(sessionId);
if (headerHolder) {
headerHolder.headers = getHttpHeaders(req);
}
try {
const transport = webAppTransports.get(
sessionId,
@ -267,34 +318,51 @@ app.post(
authMiddleware,
async (req, res) => {
const sessionId = req.headers["mcp-session-id"] as string | undefined;
let serverTransport: Transport | undefined;
if (!sessionId) {
if (sessionId) {
console.log(`Received POST message for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
const headerHolder = sessionHeaderHolders.get(sessionId);
if (headerHolder) {
headerHolder.headers = getHttpHeaders(req);
}
try {
console.log("New StreamableHttp connection request");
try {
serverTransport = await createTransport(req);
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server:",
error.message,
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
}
throw error;
const transport = webAppTransports.get(
sessionId,
) as StreamableHTTPServerTransport;
if (!transport) {
res.status(404).end("Transport not found for sessionId " + sessionId);
} else {
await (transport as StreamableHTTPServerTransport).handleRequest(
req,
res,
);
}
console.log("Created StreamableHttp server transport");
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error in /mcp route:", error);
res.status(500).json(error);
}
} else {
console.log("New StreamableHttp connection request");
try {
const { transport: serverTransport, headerHolder } =
await createTransport(req);
const webAppTransport = new StreamableHTTPServerTransport({
sessionIdGenerator: randomUUID,
onsessioninitialized: (sessionId) => {
webAppTransports.set(sessionId, webAppTransport);
serverTransports.set(sessionId, serverTransport!);
serverTransports.set(sessionId, serverTransport!); // eslint-disable-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
if (headerHolder) {
sessionHeaderHolders.set(sessionId, headerHolder);
}
console.log("Client <-> Proxy sessionId: " + sessionId);
},
onsessionclosed: (sessionId) => {
webAppTransports.delete(sessionId);
serverTransports.delete(sessionId);
sessionHeaderHolders.delete(sessionId);
},
});
console.log("Created StreamableHttp client transport");
@ -311,25 +379,15 @@ app.post(
req.body,
);
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error in /mcp POST route:", error);
res.status(500).json(error);
}
} else {
console.log(`Received POST message for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
try {
const transport = webAppTransports.get(
sessionId,
) as StreamableHTTPServerTransport;
if (!transport) {
res.status(404).end("Transport not found for sessionId " + sessionId);
} else {
await (transport as StreamableHTTPServerTransport).handleRequest(
req,
res,
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server:",
error.message,
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
}
} catch (error) {
console.error("Error in /mcp route:", error);
console.error("Error in /mcp POST route:", error);
res.status(500).json(error);
}
}
@ -343,20 +401,18 @@ app.delete(
async (req, res) => {
const sessionId = req.headers["mcp-session-id"] as string | undefined;
console.log(`Received DELETE message for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
let serverTransport: Transport | undefined;
if (sessionId) {
try {
serverTransport = serverTransports.get(
const serverTransport = serverTransports.get(
sessionId,
) as StreamableHTTPClientTransport;
if (!serverTransport) {
res.status(404).end("Transport not found for sessionId " + sessionId);
} else {
await (
serverTransport as StreamableHTTPClientTransport
).terminateSession();
await serverTransport.terminateSession();
webAppTransports.delete(sessionId);
serverTransports.delete(sessionId);
sessionHeaderHolders.delete(sessionId);
console.log(`Transports removed for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
}
res.status(200).end();
@ -375,20 +431,7 @@ app.get(
async (req, res) => {
try {
console.log("New STDIO connection request");
let serverTransport: Transport | undefined;
try {
serverTransport = await createTransport(req);
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server. Authentication failure.",
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
}
throw error;
}
const { transport: serverTransport } = await createTransport(req);
const proxyFullAddress = (req.query.proxyFullAddress as string) || "";
const prefix = proxyFullAddress || "";
@ -422,6 +465,7 @@ app.get(
serverTransport.close();
webAppTransports.delete(webAppTransport.sessionId);
serverTransports.delete(webAppTransport.sessionId);
sessionHeaderHolders.delete(webAppTransport.sessionId);
console.error(message);
} else {
// Inspect message and attempt to assign a RFC 5424 Syslog Protocol level
@ -475,6 +519,13 @@ app.get(
transportToServer: serverTransport,
});
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server. Authentication failure.",
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
}
console.error("Error in /stdio route:", error);
res.status(500).json(error);
}
@ -490,50 +541,46 @@ app.get(
console.log(
"New SSE connection request. NOTE: The SSE transport is deprecated and has been replaced by StreamableHttp",
);
let serverTransport: Transport | undefined;
try {
serverTransport = await createTransport(req);
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server. Authentication failure.",
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
} else if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 404) {
console.error(
"Received 404 not found from MCP server. Does the MCP server support SSE?",
);
res.status(404).json(error);
return;
} else if (JSON.stringify(error).includes("ECONNREFUSED")) {
console.error("Connection refused. Is the MCP server running?");
res.status(500).json(error);
} else {
throw error;
}
const { transport: serverTransport, headerHolder } =
await createTransport(req);
const proxyFullAddress = (req.query.proxyFullAddress as string) || "";
const prefix = proxyFullAddress || "";
const endpoint = `${prefix}/message`;
const webAppTransport = new SSEServerTransport(endpoint, res);
webAppTransports.set(webAppTransport.sessionId, webAppTransport);
console.log("Created client transport");
serverTransports.set(webAppTransport.sessionId, serverTransport!); // eslint-disable-line @typescript-eslint/no-non-null-assertion
if (headerHolder) {
sessionHeaderHolders.set(webAppTransport.sessionId, headerHolder);
}
console.log("Created server transport");
if (serverTransport) {
const proxyFullAddress = (req.query.proxyFullAddress as string) || "";
const prefix = proxyFullAddress || "";
const endpoint = `${prefix}/message`;
await webAppTransport.start();
const webAppTransport = new SSEServerTransport(endpoint, res);
webAppTransports.set(webAppTransport.sessionId, webAppTransport);
console.log("Created client transport");
serverTransports.set(webAppTransport.sessionId, serverTransport!);
console.log("Created server transport");
await webAppTransport.start();
mcpProxy({
transportToClient: webAppTransport,
transportToServer: serverTransport,
});
}
mcpProxy({
transportToClient: webAppTransport,
transportToServer: serverTransport,
});
} catch (error) {
if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 401) {
console.error(
"Received 401 Unauthorized from MCP server. Authentication failure.",
);
res.status(401).json(error);
return;
} else if (error instanceof SseError && error.code === 404) {
console.error(
"Received 404 not found from MCP server. Does the MCP server support SSE?",
);
res.status(404).json(error);
return;
} else if (JSON.stringify(error).includes("ECONNREFUSED")) {
console.error("Connection refused. Is the MCP server running?");
res.status(500).json(error);
}
console.error("Error in /sse route:", error);
res.status(500).json(error);
}
@ -546,12 +593,15 @@ app.post(
authMiddleware,
async (req, res) => {
try {
const sessionId = req.query.sessionId;
const sessionId = req.query.sessionId as string;
console.log(`Received POST message for sessionId ${sessionId}`);
const transport = webAppTransports.get(
sessionId as string,
) as SSEServerTransport;
const headerHolder = sessionHeaderHolders.get(sessionId);
if (headerHolder) {
headerHolder.headers = getHttpHeaders(req);
}
const transport = webAppTransports.get(sessionId) as SSEServerTransport;
if (!transport) {
res.status(404).end("Session not found");
return;